The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, prof Mike Ocquaye has reconvened parliament effective today, May 19, 202.
As Parliament reconvenes, Thirty-six bills are expected to be presented to Parliament when the House reconvenes on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.
These Bills include the Affirmative Action Bill, 2020, the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the National Ambulance Service (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Eighteen Bills have reached the Committee level and are expected to be worked on during this meeting.
Bills at the committee level include the Public Universities Bill, 2020; Conduct of Public Officers Bills, 2018; Exemptions Bill, 2019; Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill, 2018; Intestate Succession Bill, 2018.
A statement from Parliament said the Ghana Cocoa Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which is with the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, will be read a second time.
The Education Regulatory Bodies Bill, 2019, Pre-Tertiary Education Bill, 2019; the Land Bill, 2018 among others are at the consideration stage.
Meanwhile, Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the leadership of Ghana’s Parliament is considering allowing some Members of Parliament (MPs) to occupy the public gallery in order to properly observe the social distancing protocol.
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Members of the public who usually occupied the gallery were banned from visiting parliament to witness proceedings following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
In an interview with Accra based Citi FM, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that various options which include the use of the public gallery by MPs are being considered by the leadership, to protect members of the house during sittings.
“We’ve also stopped the public from visiting to observe proceedings. That space is free and as part of discussions, we are thinking that perhaps if members come in their numbers, we may ask some of them to relocate upstairs, to populate what otherwise should serve as the public gallery,” he said.
